Kobe breaks Jordan's mark for career All-Star points

ORLANDO, Florida - Kobe Bryant has surpassed Michael Jordan as the NBA All-Star Game's greatest scorer.

Bryant broke Jordan's record of 262 points on a dunk with 4:57 left in the third quarter. That gave him 20 points for the game.

Owner of a record-tying four All-Star Most Valuable Player awards, Bryant began the night with 244 points in the 12 games he had played in. He passed Oscar Robertson (246 points) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (251) earlier in Sunday night's game.

Bryant equaled the record on two free throws in the third quarter, taking a break between them to wipe blood from his nose after a hard foul from Miami's Dwyane Wade.

Jordan played in 13 All-Star games.

Bryant was making his 14th straight All-Star appearance which tied him with Jerry West, Karl Malone and former Laker teammate Shaquille O'Neal for the most consecutive All-Star berths in league history.

In last year's showcase in Los Angeles, hometown hero Bryant scored 37 points in the West's 148-143 win over the East at Staples Center arena.

Eight-time All-Star LeBron James finished with 36 points, seven assists and six three pointers for the East, who rallied in the fourth to make a game of it on Sunday.

The West had a commanding 88-69 point lead at the half and led 124-112 at the end of the third, but the East, behind the three-point shooting of James, who made six of eight attempts from beyond the arc, battled back.

AP-AFP

(China Daily 02/28/2012 page24)